Claudia Chambers has been teaching and performing Cajon for over 12 years. She studied in Spain with some of Flamenco’s leading percussionists before touring and recording in Europe with

Rodrigo y Gabriela and Luka Bloom among others. Her website www.learncajon.com is a resource for all those interested in learning, sharing or getting involved in the Cajon.

I caught up with Sergio Ramos - Drum kit player, Cajon player, and Director of the annual International Cajon Seminario - to talk to him about his unique perspective on the Cajon and Drum kit. Sergio is one of Spain’s leading players and was a founding member and player with Grammy award winning band Ojos de Brujo for many years.

You have quite a unique perspective on using the Cajon within your drum kit set up - can you tell us a bit about that?When I use the Cajon in my set up, my idea is to bring an original sound into the mix. The Cajon is very versatile, so for example, it can fit into the sound as if it were a small bass drum; I like exploring the play between the bass drum sound

The Drum Kit & Cajon Talking to Sergio Ramos by Claudia Chambers

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from the kit and the bass sound of the Cajon. I also sometimes use the Cajon like a tom with a different timbre. In addition, the Cajon can fill the groove patterns, fulfilling the function of ghost notes, hi hat or ride cymbal. It’s also interesting to see how the whole colour of a groove changes when you start playing the Cajon with either or both hands using sticks. Or having a drumstick in one hand, and playing the Cajon with the other hand (right or left) brings through a whole new sound.Do you have any advice for kit players who want to incorporate the Cajon into their playing?A useful way to get accustomed to playing the Cajon as a drummer is to try to translate your drumming repertoire onto the Cajon. You have to achieve with two hands what you usually achieve with four limbs, without losing any of the groove, power, subtlety and colour. You’ll learn a lot working on this. We shouldn’t forget that the drum kit is also another form of percussion - and the Cajon is possibly the instrument that has the closest characteristics to the kit. Playing the drummer’s part on the Cajon might even show us that some things which we do on the kit aren’t totally necessary. Do you ever use the Cajon as a drum stool?You can set the Cajon up in the air, as if it were a tom, or use it as your stool - which I prefer. While it might seem a bit more inconvenient to sit on the Cajon from the point of view of incorporating it while playing the kit, having it as your seat also opens up some different possibilities. For example, you might want to play it conventionally, and introduce it in your playing when you see an opportunity for the Cajon sound to enter the music. I find this really interesting - and you can get a cool balance between drum kit and percussion sounds in recordings this way.Can you comment on the role of brushes on the Cajon?Brushes on the Cajon give a super smooth texture for accompanying - perfect for soloists who don’t want to feel pressured by the rhythm section. Brushes are great but I think an important area to explore is playing the Cajon with something more solid than brushes. I’m convinced that the future of the drum kit lies in investigating and developing the incorporation of different mallets and percussion instruments into the kit - instruments which until now would not have been considered as belonging to a drum kit set up. Imagine the possibilities if we started to introduce Indian tabla, or panderos, played with sticks, or other mallets...Just like in the kitchen when you mix a traditional dish with new spices - you just have to get the combination of instruments and styles right - and you’ll have a banquet.Can you tell us a bit about your current projects?Working with Coetus, led by Aleix Tobias is phenomenal. It’s made up of 18 percussionists playing melody, harmony and rhythm lines. It draws on all kinds of musical traditions and instruments and the result is magnificent. The other exciting project is that we’re coming up to the eleventh International Cajon Seminario held here in Barcelona this October. This is an event I have been involved with from the start and is open to anyone interested in the Cajon - professionals and amateurs, young and old. We’re thrilled to be having Manuel Munoz “El Pajaro” giving Cajon masterclasses this year and we’re also going to be running a Brazilian Batucada competition on Cajons!

For more information on the 2013 International Cajon Seminario or to get in touch with Sergio, check out www.facebook.com/associacio.culturaf